Bellarmine Mugabe: everything we know so far

Bellarmine Mugabe pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and illegally being in the country earlier this month after he was arrested following the shooting of a 23-year-old man at his home. Bellarmine Mugabe has emerged this Friday as one of the stories drawing attention in Ghana.

Key facts

• Bellarmine Mugabe pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and illegally being in the country earlier this month after he was arrested following the shooting of a 23-year-old man at his home.
• A court in Johannesburg on Wednesday ordered Bellarmine Mugabe to pay a fine of $36,000 or face a two-year prison sentence for brandishing a toy gun in a manner that created the impression it was real, as well as for being in the country illegally.
• The youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former leader Robert Mugabe has been deported from South Africa and has arrived in Zimbabwe, following an order from a Johannesburg court.
• Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons Robert Mugabe had with his second wife, Grace.
• The 28-year-old was arrested in February after a man had been shot at his home in Johannesburg.

What we know

Going deeper, a court in Johannesburg on Wednesday ordered Bellarmine Mugabe to pay a fine of $36,000 or face a two-year prison sentence for brandishing a toy gun in a manner that created the impression it was real, as well as for being in the country illegally.

On the substance, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former leader Robert Mugabe has been deported from South Africa and has arrived in Zimbabwe, following an order from a Johannesburg court.

Beyond the headlines, Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons Robert Mugabe had with his second wife, Grace.

More precisely, the 28-year-old was arrested in February after a man had been shot at his home in Johannesburg.

It is worth noting that both men were arrested on 19 February when police were called to Mugabe's home in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park.

By the numbers

At this stage, Mugabe was arrested on February 19 alongside his cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, after an employee at his home in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park was shot in the back.

On a related note, after a failed plea deal, Mugabe, 28, admitted to being in South Africa illegally and to pointing a toy gun in a separate incident, while Matonhodze, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges.

Going deeper, the 28-year-old was also ordered to pay a fine of $36,000 (£26,700), which he did before being allowed to leave South Africa.

On the substance, In 2024, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer in the Zimbabwean border town of Beitbridge.

The wider context

On a related note, a magistrate has ordered that the youngest son of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is to be deported immediately from South Africa after pleading guilty to two offences earlier this month.

Going deeper, Mugabe was also previously charged with attempted murder, but after Matonhodze pleaded guilty, the charge was dropped.

On the substance, the charge of pointing a gun relates to a separate, unrelated incident but Mugabe agreed to have the two cases heard together, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) told the BBC earlier this month.

Beyond the headlines, the Mugabe family after losing power - arrests, accusations and arguments.

More precisely, the former president, who died in 2019, was in power for 37 years before being ousted in a 2017 coup.

The bottom line

• A court in Johannesburg on Wednesday ordered Bellarmine Mugabe to pay a fine of $36,000 or face a two-year prison sentence for brandishing a toy gun in a manner that created the impression it was real, as well as for being in the country illegally.
• The youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former leader Robert Mugabe has been deported from South Africa and has arrived in Zimbabwe, following an order from a Johannesburg court.
• The 28-year-old was arrested in February after a man had been shot at his home in Johannesburg.
• Searches spiking right now: South Africa to deport Robert Mugabe’s son over firearm offence, Robert Mugabe's son deported from South Africa over firearms offence, Mugabe's son given fine and to be deported from South Africa for pointing a toy gun, South Africa deports Mugabe’s son for unrelated offences after employee shot at family home.